Unity College volleyball, soccer squads among best

By Ken Waltz
VillageSoup Community Editor

UNITY (Oct 21): It has been another remarkable fall season for two Unity College women's athletic teams, including those who play volleyball and the students who toil on the soccer pitch.

The Ram volleyball team has earned a United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championship bid and will play Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 23-25 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

According to Unity College athletic director and volleyball coach Chris Kein, the players who will make the trip are Angela Jackson of Ashland, Ohio, Lauren Ferguson of Johnston, R.I., Wendy Perry of Lucas, Ohio, Beck Cunfer of Lehighton, Pa., Meg White of Simsbury, Conn., Ashley Sutton of Lykens, Pa., Katie Papoulias of Kensington, N.H., Hanna Gauvin of Plainfield, Conn. and Valerie Leclerc of Lebanon, Conn.

The Rams finished 16-7 overall and 6-0 in the Yankee Small College Conference. Unity won the league title in a tourney Oct. 18 at New Hamsphire Technical Institute. The Rams beat both Central Maine Community College and NHTI 3-0.

The Unity College women's soccer squad, which is only five years old, also finished second in its conference during the regular season. The team received individual accolades, including having the conference's player of the year in Deidre Ousterhout of Silverton, Ore.

The team's all-conference selections are Kristy Manuell of Flagstaff, Az., Ousterhout and Sarah Woodman of Lincoln, N.H.

The Rams finished 3-6-1 overall, including 3-2 in the conference. In the team's most recent games, Unity lost to visiting NHTI 2-0 in the YSCAAA semifinals Oct. 15.

In recent years, Unity athletic squads have traveled to North Carolina, Michigan and Texas for national competitions. The school offers intercollegiate men's and women's cross country, soccer and basketball and women's volleyball.

The school also offers club sports in lacrosse, baseball, indoor soccer, ice hockey, Ultimate Frisbee and woodsmen.